


A New Dawn

by Ruunkur



Series: During The Quiet Nights [5]
Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Alternate Ending, But I'm not gonna list everyone, Won't make sense without reading at least the second in the series, Ya know everyone is in here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21560395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: During the fight with BelialVamdemon, there was just one slight mistake that changed the world.
Series: During The Quiet Nights [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1049726
Comments: 10
Kudos: 6





	A New Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've been trying lately to go back and make happier endings for the stories that need them. So, have an alt ending to Problem with Roommates, Happy Ending. This is a form of... I don't know, reminding myself that the world isn't saturated in angst?
> 
> I still like angst, but happy endings are also really good.
> 
> Also, I've been thinking about Deadrose's comment about, what if it was Imperialdramon that got to Paladin mode, rather than Omegamon to Merciful mode, for over a year and a half now. So, here ya go~
> 
> ... damn, it has been a year and a half since I played in this universe and i still think about it a fair bit. Also, I still can't write fight scenes worth shit, so... there ya go.

Daisuke felt the wind whip across his face. The chosen children stood across the field, Ken waivering next to him. He could feel the dagger at his side radiate heat as V-mon glanced between Daisuke and the others.

"How did you free yourselves from the demon lords?" The Kaiser called out, his voice ringing louder than the thunder above them.

Daisuke's gaze landed on Takeru, the blond lifting his head up to stare them down. Determined to the end, Daisuke was happy to see that he still wore the goggles around his neck, despite everything that had happened. Takeru still trusted himself in leading.

"We found our own power Ichijouji." Taichi called, appearing at Takeru's shoulder. The ten chosen children, facing down Ken and Daisuke. It was almost laughable to Daisuke as he moved a hand, resting it on the hilt of the dagger. His heart thudded at the thought of what was to come, but he forced himself to remain calm, studying the Chosen before him.

"Do we have to do this here?" Daisuke asked, though his voice was soft as he met the Kaiser's gaze.

It was completely him, he had barely seen the faintest flicker of Ken in nearly a week. The Kaiser looked away from Daisuke, staring down at the ground below them.

Daisuke sighed, taking a step back at the lack of response. Beside him, Wormmon and V-mon exchanged glances. "Tell them what you want to say. I’m sure they haven’t heard enough monologues from anyone today," he suggested, rolling his eyes.

The Kaiser turned his gaze to the chosen children, spreading his arms wide. The wind snapped his now replaced cape back, Daisuke stepping out of the way to avoid the fabric. Ten against two, the odds were never in their favor unless... He studied the Kaiser hard, his hands curled into fists.

"You have defeated the demon lords then. How pathetic they were, with their claims of mastery over sins. They were worthless, as you all are." the Kaiser commented.

"Yeah, they went down. It was a hard fight, but they went down," Yamato snapped, voice full of venom, "you won't separate us again, Ken."

"You didn't have to do _any_ of this, Ichijouji!" Takeru snarled, Daisuke closing his eyes at the amount of malice in Takeru’s voice.

"Ken, Ichijouji, you use these names as if they mean something to me," the Kaiser commented, shaking his head slowly and laughing. A chilling, creeping laugh that even made Daisuke want to turn away. "This Ichijouji Ken you plead to is far away from here. Why don't you tell it, Daisuke?"

"What is there to tell them? They wouldn't listen if I did." Daisuke asked, his hands fidgeting every which way glanced at the Kaiser. He rested his right hand on the hilt, drawing the dagger slowly. The Kaiser hardly spared him a glance as he stared at the captive audience before him.

"Tell me one thing: do you truly believe that the dark masters and the demon lords are gone?" the Kaiser demanded.

"Destroyed into data where they belong." Miyako snapped, eyes burning hot. They all looked like scarecrows, with the rain plastering clothes to bodies, Daisuke taking a step closer to the Kaiser, waiting for just the right moment...

“No, they would have returned to the dark world, a place of true darkness, nowhere you would have ever gone perhaps.” The Kaiser said softly, Daisuke pausing beside him. Even with the thunder, their voices projected perfectly and Daisuke shuddered, the cold finally seeping into his bones.

"A blight on the worlds, that's what you and Motomiya are.” Iori spoke up, his comment making the Kaiser laugh. “I don't believe in killing, but neither of you deserve to live! How could you do this, Daisuke? How could you side with such a monster?"

"Did you never tell them?" The Kaiser asked, his grin growing impossibly large. "Oh, but you told Takeru, didn't you? He must have not told them."

"No, he probably wouldn't have," Daisuke said with a lifeless chuckle, "I don't think I even asked him not to tell them. He did it... I would think because he still has some... respect, or something, for me."

"Tell us what?" Hikari asked, her voice straining to be heard.

Daisuke looked at the ten chosen, their digimon restraining themselves from fighting. The field between them was bare. He glanced down at Wormmon behind him, turning and crouching in front of him, reaching out to touch the digimon's head. It gave him a small comfort that the others probably wouldn’t have realized that Wormmon was even there. They had been too focused on the humans themselves.

Probably a mistake on their part. But either way, he didn’t necessarily care what they thought of him at that point.

"We discussed this, I'm sorry," he murmured to the small worm, watching V-mon reach forward to hold Wormmon back, making sure that he didn't interfere. He stood up straight, turning back to those gathered on the field. 

There's a darkness that lurks," he said, raising his voice so that the other chosen could hear as well despite the rising winds, "I've known about this darkness for years, I've dedicated myself to wiping out the darkness, as I was pleaded to do. The Kaiser, though even now he wears the guise of Ken, but it's not Ken. It has never been Ken, except for that first six months he was in the digital world. After that, it wasn't him."

He couldn't see the emotions that crossed the others' faces as he looked across the field. The clouds brought an extra layer of darkness, shriveling the last piece of comfort he had in the world.

"Daisuke..."

He glanced up when he heard Takeru's call of his name, the blond shaking his head.

"There has to be-" he began.

"No!" Daisuke snapped, watching him recoil, even from this distance. Daisuke stepped in front of the Kaiser, watching the man's cold gaze settle down on him.

"Do you think you can stop me?" the Kaiser asked, arching an eyebrow and lifting a hand to Daisuke's cheek, touching the cut the whip had made so recently. "There's so much that you could be good for, but you really are going to throw it all away by trying to stop me. He really did love you, you know?"

"I'm going to do what I can." Daisuke agreed, drawing the dagger from the scabbard. He moved forward, aiming up as he plunged the blade into Ken's stomach, hearing the man let out a yelp of pain. He watched the coldness leave his eyes, leaning forward to catch Ken's body. The rain made it too slippery, too cold and he nearly dropped the man.

"Thank... you," Ken whispered, his hand dropping from Daisuke's cheek, "for freeing..."

"KEN!" Wormmon cried, Daisuke laying the dying man on the ground. He closed his eyes, feeling the tears mingle with the rain, head dropped against Ken's forehead.

_"You… wanted to talk with me?" Daisuke asked, nervously sitting in the cafe chair. It was the one nearest his and Takeru's shared apartment, Ken claiming it had been easier to get there. He had gotten the text no more than two hours ago, the anxiety eating him as he tried to decipher what Ken may want to talk to him about. He glanced up from his picked at pastry, Ken offering him a pained smile._

_"I'm sorry, I believe I picked a poor word choice when I sent you that message." Ken said, leaning out and resting his hand on Daisuke's hand. "I... before we progress any further in our relationship, there is something I have to tell you."_

_"This isn't about breaking up with me?" Daisuke asked, relief evident on his face as Ken shook his head. He began to relax, tensing when he saw the pain in Ken's gaze._

_"I'm dying," he said, voice low "it's-"_

_"Dying?" Daisuke asked, cutting him off before he could continue._

_"Yes, dying," Ken agreed, "it's not a disease that a hospital can help with. It's not a disease at all, in fact. I'm going to tell you things that you have to promise to keep quiet. These are things that you can't tell anyone, understand?"_

_"Okay," Daisuke said, tilting his head in confusion. "What sort of things?"_

_Ken took a breath, looking at the cup of tea in between his hands before he began to speak. "When I was younger, prior to my elder brother's death, I went to a world that was known to me as the digital world. I went on adventures with a young man by the name of Akiyama Ryo. You'll have heard of the digimon attacks that happened in ninety nine. I was never apart of that, but I knew of the digital world. I still know of the digital world. I had -and still have- a partner by the name of Wormmon. He's friendly and I'll introduce you two when we have the time. But, while I was in the digital world, I became infected by something. I believe it's called a dark spore. I never found the origins of it myself, despite trying to find anything I could about it. It did not come from this world, I am more than certain._

_"In two thousand and two, I disappeared for two years. I remember the first six months of those quite easily. I was in the digital world. The... voices had me convinced that I was in a game. I fought against the chosen children, one of whom is your roommate now, and the other is his best friend. You know them quite well, Yagami Hikari and Takaishi Takeru. I am more than positive that they still see their partners, though you have to understand that, as I am telling you this, you cannot let them know that you know," he paused, grimacing, "do you understand?"_

_Daisuke nodded, sitting back in his chair and picking at his pastry once more. "Okay," he agreed softly._

_"For the rest of the year and a half I was missing, I have no memory beyond a place that was further advanced in technology than our own world was. There was a voice, stronger than the others, that I had let in. I thought it would help me. Rather, it took control of me instead. I fought against my own body for nearly two years. Eventually, I won free and found myself back in the human world. I still had my D-3 and Leafmon -Wormmon's baby form- was with me. He told me things that I didn't understand, not then. I would have thought he hated me, but he stuck by my side, regardless. Things that I had done under the guise of the name of the digimon Kaiser. Things I was distraught to hear, when I later found out._

_"Upon returning home, I found parents who mourned me. I... I still do not know the extent of the destruction I had caused for the digital world. I'm telling you this because the being that controlled me for that year and a half still resides in my body. I... I love you Daisuke and that, no _this_ scares me. This... scares me." Ken whispered, his voice far more controlled as he told Daisuke than he thought it would be._

_"We can defeat it together." Daisuke said when Ken paused._

_"No, this is not something we can fight together." Ken said with a shake of his head. "When it gets to be too much, I need you to kill me, please."_

_"We can- I'm not-" Daisuke stared at him, eyes wide. "Kill you?" He whispered._

_"I wish there was another way, but if I were to die...then the evil would die with me. It would be...it would be trapped with me and I could take it to my grave. What I know is that the evil cannot walk amongst the digital world again. It would cause all hell to break loose." Ken reached across the table, taking Daisuke's hands in his own. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't..."_

_"I'll do it," Daisuke whispered, his voice growing hoarse as he realized the horror that he agreed to. "If it means...if it makes you happy, I'll do it. But I'm not doing it until I know that there is no more you in your body. Where that evil is the only thing that resides."_

_"Daisuke..." Ken murmured, caught off guard as Daisuke stood, leaning over and kissing Ken with a grimace. "Thank you," he whispered._

_"I don't want to do it," Daisuke warned. "But... for you, I will." He mumbled._

"For you, I will." Daisuke pressed his forehead to Ken's forehead, realizing that there was screaming and yelling from the others. And over it all, there was a laughter that was pouring out above them, louder than the rain that was coming down around them.

"Do you really think that you can stop me with a pathetic attempt at killing a host body?"

Daisuke looked up, feeling himself be yanked away, the hand that had taken his gripping tighter.

"You should have killed him ages ago," the voice taunted. Daisuke shook his head, feeling Ken's hand lose strength.

"No, no no no no no!" He snarled, looking up to see the dark cloud above them. "That's not- you should have-" He was cut off by the beast's laughter, feeling Takeru's arms loop around his chest as he struggled against his hold. He wasn't sure when he had gotten so close, or when they had approached him. Maybe it was when he was talking, staring at Ken the entire time. "You should have died, you fucking bastard!"

HIs voice would have been too quiet for them to listen at a distance. And he had...

"Had you even been a day earlier..." the voice chuckled again, Daisuke going limp on Takeru, his gaze landing on Wormmon.

"I failed," he whispered, feeling the crushing horror press around him. He felt someone press an arm around him, the weight pleasantly familiar. He stared at the digimon, feeling Takeru’s grip shift, an arm moved to hold him back as he lurched towards the body.

"You have indeed. And with all the others watching. Now you have the blood of your lover on your hands. Whatever are you going to do?" the voice whispered.

Daisuke looked up, realizing that Jou was kneeling next to Ken, working to stem the bleeding, explaining to Yamato why he shouldn’t remove the dagger.

He saw Ken's closed eyes then turned a determined look to the air above him, watching it solidify as VenomVamdemon.

"I'm going to do what I should have been able to do and take you down." Daisuke said, throwing Takeru off him. The blond stumbled back, eyes going wide as Daisuke gripped his D-3 in his hand. "I may not have acted like it, but I was chosen. Ken was chosen too. We have our partners by our sides, no matter what! V-mon, evolve!" He called, grimacing. He watched Ken open his mouth to say something, the man hanging on to life before Daisuke grinned.

XV-mon and Stingmon stood side by side, Takeru frowning in confusion as he stepped back, watching the scene unfolding.

"XV-mon, ready?" Daisuke asked, feeling the ghost of a hand on his shoulder. He glanced to the side, clearing his throat when his digimon nodded.

"As ready as we can be," Stingmon responded, looking on as VenomVamdemon let out a scoff, rolling his eyes.

"Stingmon, XV-mon, jogress!" Daisuke called, watching the two merge. He felt Ken's stuttering heartbeat join his own. He gripped his hand tight, watching Paildramon jogress evolve. "Let's go, Paildramon, evolve!"

The first time he and Ken -actually Ken and not the Kaiser- had found the power to jogress evolve, there had been an undertone of bitterment that they knew it would never help. The others would never understand. Daisuke would have the blood of another on his hands. When it had been the Kaiser, Daisuke had felt nothing but hatred out of the force formed Dinobeemon. Here, he felt nothing but love for and from his digimon.

 _It's okay, I forgive you._ Ken's voice breathed through the connection, Daisuke watching on in determination as Paildramon became Imperialdramon, shifting into fighter mode. he let out a whoop, feeling Ken smile.

"Hey, you fucking parasitic asshole, come down here and face someone your own size!" Daisuke snarled, feeling the strength of Ken's spirit bolster his connection to their jogress digimon. He jumped up, punching the air as the dark cloud began to take shape.

****

"VenomVamdemon," Takeru breathed, taking a step back as Daisuke began to yell at the cloud that was taking form. His mind was struggling to catch up, to make sense of what he had seen. Daisuke running through Ken with a dagger. The dark cloud formed above them as Ken smiled, him and Daisuke sharing a moment.

Jou had leapt into action, their digimon uncertain of what to do as Takeru moved forward, pulling Daisuke away before he physically attacked Jou. Maybe if Jou was quick enough, maybe if he was fast enough, they could save Ken.

Then, the revelation of Wormmon -Ken's digimon partner, still able to evolve despite his partner laying there and dying- and V-mon, then the jogress revelation. He had wondered, when he had learned that Miyako and Hikari, and how he himself and Iori, were jogress partners, what would become of Ken and Daisuke.

He glanced over his shoulder, nodding at Patamon. "Iori!" he called, catching the young man's attention as VenomVamdemon took form. The man looked at him, an unspoken question in his gaze. They were tired, even with having been gifted extra strength from Lucemon. But now, Takeru felt a renewed hope flow through him.

"Yes?" Iori asked, seeming startled out of his own state of shock.

"Jogress?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Iori nodded, taking Takeru's hand and calling out to Armadimon. Next to him, he heard Hikari call out to Miyako. It was moments before Silphymon and Shakkoumon were on the field. He nodded at Iori, refusing to let his hand go. Across the field, he could see his friends evolve. He saw Rosemon and Vikemon standing close to each other, protecting where Jou was working on stabilizing Ken.

It was amazing to see his friends’ digimons’ ultimate forms, even in the face of what should have been a truly devastating scene.

He saw Omegamon grace the scene, VenomVamdemon's laughter filling him with dread even now.

_Go forth and know that this is what I wanted._

Takeru frowned when he heard the voice, straightening his shoulders as he saw HerakleKabuterimon fly past, Hououmon's wings gracing the scene. He turned his gaze to the scene before him, VenomVamdemon seeming to morph into a noxious gas once more. He saw, as if from a distance, Archnemon and Mummymon scuttle across the scene, Archnemon saying something before she and Mummymon both were devoured by the digimon in front of them.

"BelialVamdemon."

Takeru turned to the voice, watching as Imperialdramon strode towards the now formed BelialVamdemon. He nodded, glancing down in surprise when Iori took his hand, a grimace on his face.

Their friends had fought their way out of the towers not more than an hour ago, the dark masters had been defeated not even two hours prior, and now they faced BelialVamdemon, back in this new form.

Takeru closed his eyes, feeling Shakkoumon surge through the fight. They were tired, but the fight raged on, Omegamon and Imperialdramon working in tandem.

"Everyone together, now!" Takeru shouted, the digimon aiming their attacks. BelialVamdemon merely laughed, Takeru holding tight to his digivice. He felt a hand on his shoulder, Hikari and Miyako standing next to him and Iori. Slowly, the others joined while Jou still worked on stabilizing Ken, Daisuke refusing to leave his partner.

"He's... not stopping," Hikari whispered, Takeru taking hold of her hand with his free hand, shoving his digivice in his pocket.

"We're stronger still," Takeru promised. He closed his eyes, reflecting on what he had learned. "We walked the darkest path imaginable to get here. This thing puppeted a body that didn't belong to him for years. We-" he grimaced as he saw Shakkoumon be struck down. He closed his eyes, taking a breath. "We can defeat this thing, once and for all."

"We've taken him before." Taichi said from behind Takeru.

"All together," Sora said.

"No one left behind," Koushiro whispered.

"Regardless of our faults," Yamato nodded.

"We've always managed," Jou agreed from where he was looking down at Ken.

"Nothing separates us." Mimi cried.

"Together," Hikari, Takeru, Miyako, and Iori shared a glance, Takeru breaking into a grin. "We can do this," he agreed, watching BelialVamdemon take a step back, the rain seeming to lighten.

***

Daisuke watched the scene before him, the words lost to the background noise. He stumbled next to Ken, reaching out and taking his hand. Jou glanced up, looking back at the wound before he took Daisuke's hands, pressing them around the blade.

"Hold it like that!" he encouraged Daisuke, the man nodding. In the distance, the ocean raged. Daisuke was distracted only for a minute by Jou's device glowing. All around, he could see other glowing, too. When he looked up, Imperialdramon was shimmering above them. He glanced down and saw his pocket glow, his body trembling.

He swallowed, watching the lights of the combined digivices shoot upwards, enveloping both Omegamon and Imperialdramon in light.

"It's beautiful," someone said behind him as Omegamon seemed to shimmer, enveloped in the lights. Taichi let out a low whistle, watching him evolve.

"Paladin mode?" Koushiro asked, staring down at his computer in confusion. When he glanced up, he could see Omegamon behind Imperialdramon, the knight taking several more measured paces back. BelialVamdemon took several steps back when Imperialdramon moved towards him, Omegamon quickly moving to block his path.

"You have made yourself a pest for too long, BelialVamdemon. You have seen what these chosen of the gods can do, when pressed with their backs to the very edge of the fall. Kneel before Heaven's Light!"

The sky lit up, Daisuke taking a breath as he stared at their partners. His eyes were bright, his breath catching as Jou dropped back next to Ken, yelling something at Daisuke who held the blade in his hand once more.

The blood dripped crimson, Daisuke closing his eyes and attempting to bring the knife down on him. Several hands reached out, stopping him and flinging the blade away from the scene.

"Giga Death!"

Daisuke heard his partner roar out the attack, his eyes closing as the beast above them screamed, his words lost. "Thank you," Daisuke breathed, staring down at Ken.

Nine adults strained to watch the battle before it ended, the night returning to the storm that had descended before them. Their partners landed, Jou snapping something and Daisuke uncomprehending.

Daisuke was already on his feet, backing away. Someone was too close and another hand was on his wrist.

"Whatever happened-" he began, Daisuke already pulling away from whoever had been speaking. The words were lost on him as he turned to the field, slipping on the wet grass before finding where his partners had fallen, scooping up both Leafmon and Chicomon with a strained smile.

"It's over," Daisuke breathed, staring at the moon hovering above them. The fight had lasted too long, the moments counting as seconds and the seconds lasting for hours. He bowed his head, hugging both digimon tight to his chest.

"I'm sorry," Daisuke whispered as he looked up at the sky, falling to his knees when pain overtook his senses.

_Two weeks later_

Takeru sat at his computer, rubbing the back of his neck. He still felt the sting of new tattoos that had been added to his body, Seraphimon resting on his ribcage, with Shakkoumon decorating his upper left arm. He listened to the silence of the apartment, his gaze darting to the email that he had been working on, his publishing company having accepted his finalized rough draft that morning, growing excited at the prospect when he explained to them that it would be a trilogy.

After the events of the final battle against one BelialVamdemon, Takeru had taken the time to begin penning out everything he could recall, getting events from the others that had been trapped in the towers prior to the final battle. With the digital world restored to peace once more, the gates had been opened for good.

Even now, there were reports of children all across the world receiving the strange digimon partners. Taichi's work kicked into high gear despite him still trying to recover from his final football match and the events in the tower. He complained that they had pulled him from his well deserved vacation, the twice Takeru had seen him. He laughed to see Koushiro happily reading a book without any sort of computer near his body, though the ban had only lasted a week.

He glanced up when he heard a knock on the front door, heart picking up in speed as he got up, saving the document he had been writing in. Patamon looked up from his nest on the couch, tracking Takeru before lowering his head, feeling that he would be fine for the time being.

"God, you think they wouldn't question-"

The voice surprised Takeru and he turned in his hair, watching as Ken helped a stumbling Daisuke through the door.

"I told them, I didn't need any more doctors," he grumbled, taking a minute to shake Ken off of him and lean against the wall. "They said the rest would be the best thing for it. If I want to rest, it would be better to get it at home, don't you think, Takeru?"

Takeru blinked up from his work, glancing between the two. With a sigh, he saved the document, shaking his head. "The doctors know what best."

"And Doctor Kido told me that I just needed rest. With all those people poking their heads into the hospital, wondering how I survived being struck by lightning from another world, asking about all sorts of nerve damage and what I can feel. No one can rest in a hospital like that!"

"Well, it did knock you unconscious for several days." Ken let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "The doctor wouldn't explain that he needed rest, not to jaunt halfway across Tokyo so he can pick up ice cream."

"But ice cream's good!" V-mon protested, hopping off Ken's shoulder.

"Nice, well, do you think you could help me all the way to the bed?" Daisuke asked, looking up at Takeru. "I don't think I can make it that far and Ichijouji said he was only taking me to the front door."

"Why not the couch?" Takeru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't want to sleep on a couch, that's why. My bed will be comfy enough and it will be big enough for me to toss and turn without falling off the bed." Daisuke sniffed, looking at Takeru. "Please, will you help get there?"

"Sure..." Takeru said, stepping forward and helping Daisuke on to the bedroom. Ken picked up Wormmon, adjusting his grip on the bag of ice cream.

"I think Daisuke can walk just fine. At least, that is the ability he produced when it came to getting ice cream." Ken nodded at Takeru as he came back into the living room. "I'm sorry for dropping by unannounced. I wasn't convincing Daisuke that he needed to stay at the hospital."

Takeru shook his head, accepting the bag of ice cream. "It's fine, this is still Daisuke's apartment."

"Yes, well... I'm just glad we were able to find all his things and put them back before he really started to protest the whole hospital stay." Ken rubbed the back of his neck turning towards the door. "I... should be heading out."

"No, would you like to stay?" Takeru asked, glancing between Wormmon and Ken. V-mon had already run off, his voice going a mile a minute in Daisuke's room.

"I can stay for a bit, but not long. There are... some things I need to do for work after my... extended absence." Ken hesitated, Takeru nodding.

"Why don't I make us a cup of tea? I..." Takeru turned back to the kitchen, Ken nodding.

"I would like that," he murmured. He moved to sit on the couch, taking a second thought and sitting at the table instead.

"Do... you understand what happened?" Takeru asked, setting a cup of tea down in front of Ken. He accepted it, placing his hands around the object.

"I understand that I should have died," Ken began, "and I understand how BelialVamdemon was able to corrupt me. But, beyond that, I don't understand, Takeru." He looked up, meeting the blond's eyes.

They had been dancing around the subject for two weeks. Each moment had been a little better than the next, but there was still something that Takeru was refraining himself from saying and Ken was growing frustrated at it.

“So, you knew it was an… infection that was making you do all of that?” Takeru asked.

“No,” Ken responded, “I could guess, even more so when I started losing chunks of time again. I never understood what I originally did in the digital world, beyond the first six months. Other than that… it was all him. He needed a way to recover, after what you and Hikari did to me while we were in school. Daisuke… was a saint for me.”

Takeru nodded, leaning back in his chair. He held his own cup, Patamon talking with Wormmon about a book he had pulled off the shelf.

“He was willing to kill you…”

“I asked him to and he agreed. He attracts people to him, like a moth to the flame.” Ken took a sip of his tea, a smile falling across his face. “I have never met a more steadfast friend and lover and he stayed with me, through everything. At any point, he could have… gone to you and left me. But, he stayed.”

Takeru nodded. “You trusted him with a lot.”

“I had no one else to turn to. He was my rock. There were times, when I was younger... I considered just… letting go. Daisuke kept me grounded. He is my everything and I would never want him to have the life of another on his hands.” ken dropped his head, breathing in deeply. “I only hope that I can show you and the others that I am not an enemy.”

Takeru nodded, watching Ken as he finished his tea. “Thank you for talking with me, Ken. And…”

Takeru swallowed, standing when Ken did.

“I think they understand a lot better where Daisuke was coming from. I understand it, a lot better. There is nothing he wouldn’t do for you, Ken.”

“I know,” Ken whispered, “and thank you. As I said, I… only hope to mend the bridges with his other friends.”

“It wasn’t your fault, ever.” Takeru reached a hand up, placing it on Ken’s shoulder. “The others know it wasn’t your fault, either. They saw BalialVamdemon as the bigger threat. He was willing to use you, on top of it. Just, please don’t push us out either, Ken.”

Ken shifted, glancing around the room. “Really?” he asked.

Takeru nodded, taking in a breath. He released it slowly, looking up at Ken. “I… would like to be part of a relationship with you and Daisuke, if you would ever… have me. I… I really care for both of you and I get it.” Takeru swallowed, meeting Ken’s gaze.

“Talk to Daisuke to make sure it’s okay,” Ken said, “however, I have always been more than willing to try a relationship with you, Takeru.” He stepped towards Takeru, a smile crossing his face.

“Really?” Takeru asked, “you would?”

Ken nodded, pulling Takeru into a hug.

“Then I’ll give you a fair warning, you may want to replace the couch.”

Takeru grew cold as Ken pulled away from the hug, a smile on his face.

“I have to go, come on, Wormmon! You have a lovely day, Takeru.”

He met the green bug at the door, picking him up and was out of there before Takeru got a chance to respond. He rounded on Daisuke’s door, his eyebrow twitching.

“What _did you do_ to the couch, Motomiya?”

**Author's Note:**

> .... One last couch jab. Just one last one.


End file.
